4.12.2011

Spring Break Family Vacation - Part 1

Detroit-Phoenix-FlagstaffAfter putting my mom in the care of my brother and our "Lucky" goldendoodle in the care of Canine College, we left for the airport around 4:30 am Sunday for our direct flight to Phoenix. I think we started planning this trip in January...the kids had never been to Arizona and G has been traveling there for business the last couple years so we thought the kids would want to check it out. The flight was relatively uneventful except that the kids did enjoy the newly installed personal tvs and headphones they each had for the ride. Watching iCarly and Sponge Bob on tv while in the air -- what next!? Oh, and I caught an episode of Bethenny Ever After on Bravo, too! We arrived in Phoenix around 9am local time, rented a nice black Kia Borrego (don't know much about Kias, but it was nice and the size we wanted) with bonus GPS and we were on the road towards Flagstaff with a sunny day ahead of us. The plan was to stop at Montezuma Castle for some quick sight seeing on our way to Flagstaff...but after 20 minutes in the car we realized we wanted a case of water bottles, so the actual first stop was ....Target Greatland...I could have spent the whole day in there, but the family wouldn't let me (and yes, we managed to buy more than water bottles)!!Now, next stop Montezuma Castle National Monument. We really did not know too much about this place but G had looked into it and it turns out it was a nice stop and a good way to break us into the Indian culture and the beautiful scenery. There's a small visitor's center/gift shop and a walking path around the Monument with some shaded resting stops. It was here that I discovered that Sycamore trees are pretty neat. We probably spent an hour or so at Montezuma. On the road again headed for Flagstaff...arrive Holiday Inn Express approximately 3 pm (apparently there aren't many or any nicer hotels in Flagstaff--and with the free breakfast we got what we paid for-a basic hotel). Northern Arizona is still chilly this time of year, so no shorts...yet. Relax, unwind, unpack, check out the pool and figure out a plan for dinner. The kids went for a quick swim while I got the room organized. At this point we are starting to struggle to keep up with the 3 hour time change since we had been up so early. A little tired and a little hungry! We ended up at the Beaver Street Brewery for dinner and it turned out to be a great choice! Had a nice salad and delicious wood fired pizza. I believe I even had a beer in honor of the Brewery...and I'm not really a beer drinker. Flagstaff appears to have a little bit of a college town feel (I believe Northern Arizona State University is in Flagstaff). Early night...in bed around 9 pm (Midnite Michigan time)...big day tomorrow!

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ABOUT ME

Thanks for stopping by...I'm Cindy, living in the Midwest, married to George (22 years). Along the way we've had three great kids, Megan (17), Jacob and Kristin (twins,15). We also have the world's cutest Goldendoodle named "Lucky". On Mondays I post about my experiences as a daughter/caregiver to my mom who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. I love to tell stories about every day life...I add my own sarcastic/humorous twist to a lot of it. I hope you will feel free to check in with me as we Live, Laugh and Love our lives!